My 25 and 17 years olds are going to Europe in June for 2 weeks before I arrive. From Milan their plan is to take night trains each night rather than stay in hotels and see the area that way. Would this work? Also, are there showers in train stations? They aren't interested in big museums, big cities, or crowds. Any places they shouldn't miss in Italy, Austria and Germany? We'll be together in Switzerland and France. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Some of the train stations in the larger German cities have pay-showers. I would not know about Italy or Austria.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
147 posts
While I have never done a night train, I've read lots of horror stories about them on fodors.com talk section. There seems to be a lot of theft, etc. too so make sure they are very careful!
Posted by
COCONUT CREEK, CARENCRO, FL., LA., USA
152 posts
Just prepare them for the flight to Milan to be off. Three couples of us had problems with flight into and out of Milan. How bout a youth hostel for the night? I haven't done the trains in Spain, but know I won't do them in Italy again.
Posted by
Federal Way, WA, USA
9 posts
I had a not so good experience on a night train in Italy. I hardly slept at all. It was too hot and stuffy (in early July, no a/c) and there were six people in my cabin, one person kept going out and coming in. It was just too hard to get any really good sleep. It might be okay to take a night train once or twice, but it's not very restful.
Posted by
Orlando, FL, USA
14 posts
Night trains save time and money. I have done the Paris to Rome night train, Rome to Zurich and Munich to Venice. It saves hotel money and sightseeing time during the day. Any train trip over 4 hours during the day is a waist of time and money. Night trains can be hot, smelly, noisy and uncomfortable. Get a cabin for them to share. It costs more but they won't have to worry about the guy in the bunk below them stealing their stuff. Cinque Terre in Italy is a safe and relaxing not to mention awesome place. Stay 3 nights min. Munich, Germany is a great city for beer. Hofbrau house and Mike's bike tours are great. Vienna for a show would be nice. Enjoy.
Posted by
Carthage, Texas
3 posts
My wife and I have just returned from Switzerland/Austria. We took an overnight train from Zurich to Salzburg. We both have nothing good to say about it. Hot, very crowded, stranger testing to see if your door is locked at 3:00am, etc...
We had a great time on our trip, except for the overnight train. I understand why traveling that way has it's advantages (read Steve's books), but as for my wife and I NEVER AGAIN.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Paul, being European and having had my share of experiences using trains all over the continent I 2nd your feelings. Trains are great where they are high-speed and rides only take a few hours during the day. For everything else there are low cost airlines nowadays...
Posted by
USR, NJ
277 posts
On my first of many trips to Europe, I took my 6 and 8 year old backpacking thru Europe. We stayed on overnight trains and were able to visit several countries and as many cities in three weeks. Every second night we stayed at a reasonable priced hotel. France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Monaco were the countries we visited. The trick is to plan ahead of time. It was an adventure of a life time.